LONDON – A fourth night of anti-immigrant unrest in Northern Ireland left another 22 officers injured, police said Friday, as violent protests spread to a second town.
Firing plastic bullets, police sought to drive back several hundred people who had gathered in the town of Portadown — some 80 kilometers southeast of Ballymena, where an alleged sexual assault that sparked the violence took place, according to an AFP correspondent on the scene.
“Last night in Portadown police came under sustained attack from rioters throwing masonry and other missiles,” said Ryan Henderson, Assistant Chief Constable with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
“Twenty-two officers were injured and I am so grateful to them for their bravery and selfless dedication in protecting the community of Portadown from this criminality,” he added.
Three nights of unrest had already hit Ballymena, some 48 kilometers northwest of Belfast, leaving a trail of damage, with 63 police officers now injured and 15 people arrested.
Two more people, a woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s, were arrested on suspicion of riotous behavior and other offenses in connection with Thursday’s disorder.
The clashes first erupted on Monday night after two teenagers were arrested for the alleged attempted rape of a young girl at the weekend.
Police have not confirmed the ethnicity of the teenagers, who remain in custody and had asked for a Romanian interpreter in court.
Foreign nationals were forced to hide in wardrobes and attics to escape the rioters, police said on Thursday, calling for the protests to end and warning demonstrators that they would face arrest.
“Stop this violence,” said Northern Ireland police chief Jon Boutcher. “We will come after you. We will arrest you. We will prosecute you successfully.”
Four people, mostly teenagers, have so far been charged in connection with the ongoing disorder.
